How big do you like it?

[slofox]

So how big do you like it then...? (Your BIKE dammit, I mean your BIKE!!)

Me, I like middle weights these days but I have ridden lightweights a lot in the past and done a couple of runs on heavyweights as well.
Coupla reasons for my preference: possibly most relevant being I am not too huge myself so don't fancy riding a bike I can't pick up if I drop it....but also important is my liking for nimble bikes.....I like to ride a greyhound, not an armchair.
With a middleweight I like the balance of size and lightness with enough power to get me banned from the road were I to misuse said power. For whatever reason, I have never wanted to own a BIG bike....
What say others? What size do you like and why?
For the poll, take lightweight as up to around 400-500cc, middleweight to around 800 - 1000 cc and anything over that as heavyweight.......Please note I am referring as much to size and power as actual weight, so don't get too finicky with my definitions....else we could be splitting hairs forever....

[hospitalfood]

thats a tough one.....
love my buell but at 180 kg it is heavy, would love the same power at 140 kg for a sports bike but i dont really feel it is a heavy bike, very nimble.
i want a tourer and i dont care to much about how heavy, just want comfort.
also want a dirt bike that is light as.

think the answer is to have lots of bikes

[ManDownUnder]

Bike has to be able to perform and corner one or two up, but I'm not a cruiser or massive bike fan...

[slofox]

How stupid can ya get? I went to tick my own poll and hit the wrong box.......:crazy: better not do that next Saturday......

[quickbuck]

thats a tough one.....
love my buell but at 180 kg it is heavy,....


Same weight as a 2004 GSX 250 invader.... with 23 HP.

Anyhow, I'm a middle weight person.... 200kg wet and 100BHP does fine for now.

[Usarka]

Don't worry i ticked all three for ya.

[TOTO]

How stupid can ya get? I went to tick my own poll and hit the wrong box.......:crazy: better not do that next Saturday......

why ? you going for pregnancy test or something ?

[slofox]

why ? you going for pregnancy test or something ?

Well, I wasn't, but hey, shit, maybe I should!!!

[McJim]

I've always thought my bike was pretty light at 170kg. I've classed that as a middleweight. 583cc and torquey. It's only 53hp but it can just about see 200kph on a good day.

[James Deuce]

A "middleweight" cruiser is 1300cc these days.

A "middleweight" streetbike goes from 500c to 850cc.

"Middleweight" sportsbikes are 600-850cc.

"Middleweight" adventure bikes are 400-850cc.

"Middleweight" is a relative term in this niche oriented bike market, and doesn't seem to relate to actual mass anymore.

[Motu]

Are we talking weight or capacity here? They are not the same thing at all.I grew up riding ''big'' bikes,heavyweights - over 400lbs,200kg.Capacity ranging from 350 to 750cc...middleweights by the capacity reckoning.I like small bikes on and off road,it's hard to find a small bike with performance on the road....but the DT230 fitted that bill for me.Now I'm back to where I started - a heavyweight middleweight....650cc...400lb.

[Gremlin]

By your definition of middleweight, I ticked that. About 1L is right for me, but gone from an IL4 to a vtwin. Big difference in power. It also sounds heavy at 185kg, but get it under way, and you would never think it was anywhere near that (and someone riding a 690 that weighed around 150? said exactly that)

Physical size, its surprisingly large, and you'd probably need to be 6 foot plus to flat foot it, dwarfing most other bikes.

[hang0ver]

I wanted a 600, but couldn't afford one... So a have a 900 instead... Loving the torque, dealing with the weight :whocares::beer:

[bikerboy011]

Middle weight for me i guess, my bike is almost as light and nimble as a 250cc sports bike.

[slofox]

A "middleweight" cruiser is 1300cc these days.

A "middleweight" streetbike goes from 500c to 850cc.

"Middleweight" sportsbikes are 600-850cc.

"Middleweight" adventure bikes are 400-850cc.

"Middleweight" is a relative term in this niche oriented bike market, and doesn't seem to relate to actual mass anymore.


Please note I am referring as much to size and power as actual weight, so don't get too finicky with my definitions....else we could be splitting hairs forever....

Yeah - I know it is hard to stick to a definition.......which is why I defined it as per the quote. But I would definitely say 250 is light, 650 is middle and 1400 is heavy...other than that, use your own perceived definition......

[Horse]

200kg.... 250kg...
Not a lot of discussion of actual heavyweight bikes in this thread yet. :)

[Mully]

I'd guess the RF is on the higher end - Im a husky gentleman, and look franky stupid on a little bike.

(You should have heard the laughter when I rode a GN while I was doing my licence.)

[OutForADuck]

Horses for courses... never seen the point of a Goldwing, but my beemer is something like 230Kg and tours fast well, wereas the Streetfighter is seriously underweight for the power and extremely flickable.... horses for courses.

[stanleychung]

I was shocked when i saw those Triumph Rocket 2300cc bikes listed on Trademe. Just looking at the specifications I would think you would have to be nuts to ride something like that. They must me considered heavy weight for sure.

[Grub]

I can honestly think of no reason to go bigger than a 600 sprots. They have the nimbleness that is fun, they have power to spare and on the track, the 600's are often knocking off the litre bikes. So they must do the business in terms of overall "performance"

When it gets to communting, I'm much much MUCH happier with my 170kg rocket

[Hitcher]

So how big do you like it then?

Anything more than a handful is unnecessary.

[H00dz]

Geezuz .....when your 200kg what yr bike weighs is sumthing you just dont think about LOL

Its pretty much anything that you can fit on and not bottom out which aint alot

[martybabe]

I guess it's a sign of the times, under stressed performance back in my day was all about cubic capacity and to have big cubicles ya needed a big bike. These days I doubt I'd consider anything less than a 1000cc as my only bike, do I need that big an engine? no but I want it.

It's about physical size too, I remember drooling about a 996 until I saw one, gorgeous looking thing and a fantastic bike in many ways but it felt like a bicycle to me. I've owned bigger 250s.

If they banned big bikes tomorrow would I have a middle weight? Hell yeah but in the mean time this naughty gentleman will continue to glide along on a ballistic sofa thank you. :D

[slofox]

.......a ballistic sofa thank you. :D

Love that term.....:clap: